GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency: Psychometric Evidence

2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Phillips
2020 ◽  
pp. 0013161X2096371
Author(s):  
Frank Hernandez ◽  
Jonathan McPhetres ◽  
Jamie Hughes

Purpose. In the current study, we present data describing adolescents’ perceptions and knowledge of educator sexual misconduct. Prior research has not investigated how adolescents understand these situations, and this information can help school leaders, educators, and researchers both understand how these situations begin and develop programs aimed at identifying cases of misconduct in order to reduce future occurrences. Research Design. The study took place in a Texas city designated as an “Other City Center” District Type by Texas Education Agency. The study’s 1,203 participants were secondary students from the district. Findings. Findings indicate that almost 2% of those surveyed openly admitted to currently being consensually sexually involved with a teacher. Those in a relationship were equally likely to be male or female, were older, and were engaged in risky online activities, including using the internet to connect with strangers, sending or receiving sexually suggestive pictures and videos, and searching for their teacher on social media. Implications. There are numerous implications for policy and preparation at various levels, from state and national legislation to school and school district policy to teacher- and principal-preparation programs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. DeMatthews ◽  
David S. Knight

State accountability systems have been a primary school reform initiative in the U.S. for the past twenty years, but often produce unintended negative consequences. In 2004, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) implemented the Performance Based Monitoring and Analysis System (PBMAS) which included an accountability indicator focused on the percentage of students found eligible for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the nation’s special education law. From 2004 through 2016, the percentage of students found eligible for special education in Texas declined significantly, while the national rate held constant. Eventually, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) investigated TEA and the statewide implementation of IDEA. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to evaluate the potential impact of the the PBMAS indicator on manipulation of special education identification practices; and (b) to describe how the indicator may have influenced school and district personnel. We highlight several concerning trends in state and district data and, through an analysis of publicly available reports from the ED, show how district and school personnel knowingly and unknowingly acted in ways that delayed and denied special education to potentially eligible students. We conclude with recommendations for TEA and implications for future research and policy.


Author(s):  
Donald R. Deis Jr. ◽  
Anna M. Rose

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The Texas Education Agency (TEA) performs extensive reviews of audit working papers for selected Texas school district audits to evaluate the quality of audit services rendered by independent accountants. These reviews are referred to as Quality Control Reviews (QCRs). The TEA also conducts desk reviews of all audited financial statements issued by Texas independent school districts. During the desk review process, the TEA performs a limited check of the accuracy of financial statement amounts, completeness of financial disclosures, and existence of proper audit output. Prior research suggests that desk reviews and quality control reviews both measure audit quality (Colbert and O&rsquo;Keefe 1995; Copley et al. 1994; Deis and Giroux 1992, 1996; Giroux et al. 1995; O&rsquo;Keefe and Westort 1992; O&rsquo;Keefe et al. 1994). The purpose of the paper is to determine if desk reviews capture the same audit quality information as quality control reviews. If so, regulators should focus resources on desk reviews since they are more timely and economical than QCRs. The results of the study, however, indicate that desk reviews and quality control reviews do not measure the same constructs. The findings suggest that desk reviews measure the industry specific knowledge of the auditor, which is only one aspect of audit quality. Moreover, it was observed that some audits passing the desk review were graded low in quality by the working paper review. This finding suggests that low audit quality may be more prevalent than generally suspected and that steps to improve audit quality and auditor credibility are warranted.<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></strong></span></span></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Zoë Mandel ◽  
Andrew Pendola

Accountability policies in education play a significant role for the principals tasked with facilitating the implementation of these reforms at the school-level. While these policies are most often intended to improve student outcomes, this is not always the case. In some instances, these policies can prove detrimental to schools, yet principals are still responsible for compliance. In Texas, a federal investigation found the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was restricting access to special education services by incentivizing districts to enroll fewer than 8.5% of students, utilizing these numbers as a measure of district performance. The implementation of the “8.5% cap” in 2004 resulted in a sharp decline in special education enrollment. Employing a sample of all principals in Texas before and after the 2004 law, this paper examines how the 8.5% cap impacted school leader attrition during its implementation. Prior to the implementation of the cap in 2004, we find little association between the proportion of students receiving services and principal turnover. After its implementation however, we find that principals in schools enrolling more than 8.5% of students in special education had a .39 higher odds ratio of switching districts and a .14 higher odds ratio of exiting the profession. We conclude by highlighting the scarcity of school labor market research that accounts for state-level education policies and note that policy may be more associated with principal turnover than student characteristics themselves.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-102
Author(s):  
LaTracy Harris ◽  
John R. Slate ◽  
George Moore ◽  
Frederick C Lunenburg

In this study, the degree to which differences were present in the reading performance of Grade 4 Texas students as a function of their economic status (i.e., Not Poor, Moderately Poor, and Very Poor) was analyzed.  Data obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for all Grade 4 students in Texas who took the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness Reading exam, were analyzed for the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 school years. In all three years examined, statistically significant differences were established in not only overall reading performance, but also in all three Reading Reporting categories. A clear stair-step effect was present. The higher the degree of poverty, the lower student STAAR Reading test scores were. Finally, the higher the degree of poverty, the lower the percentages of students who met the passing standard on the STAAR Reading exam. Future research and implications for policy and practice are suggested.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document